Dennis Johnson
1976–77 to 1989–90 · 14 seasons
NBA player comparison
Dennis Johnson vs. Greg Ballard: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
Greg Ballard ranks higher in career impact
Greg Ballard
1977–78 to 1988–89 · 11 seasons
Impact comparison
Box impact estimates points per 100 possessions above each season's league average. Higher is better. Career ranks and average league finishes work the other way: lower is better.
#239Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#236Leads
+3.5LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+3.2
+2.4Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+2.5Leads
23.7Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better20.0Leads
+2,096 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+1,632 pts
1LeadsTop-10 impact seasons0
Career Impact Rank places Greg Ballard #236 and Dennis Johnson #239. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three. Dennis Johnson had the higher single-season impact estimate and more total career value.
Regular season only. Impact figures are estimates; small gaps are not exact. Playoffs, awards and titles do not determine the verdict.
Career Impact RankSee exactly how both rankings are calculatedDennis Johnson31.153 · No. 239Greg Ballard31.040 · No. 236
Only the three league-finish windows below determine Career Impact Rank. Career Value and peak impact are separate measures; neither adds points to this calculation. Lower composite scores rank higher.
Dennis Johnson
31.153 composite · No. 239 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 91976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 311977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 311980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 23.667 | 50% | 11.833 |
| Best 5No. 91976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 311977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 311980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 331981–82Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 351978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 27.800 | 30% | 8.340 |
| Best 10No. 91976–77Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 311977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 311980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 331981–82Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 351978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 421979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 601982–83Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 881985–86Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1041984–85Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1161983–84Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 54.900 | 20% | 10.980 |
11.833 + 8.340 + 10.980= 31.153
Greg Ballard
31.040 composite · No. 236 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 181981–82Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 201982–83Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 221979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 20.000 | 50% | 10.000 |
| Best 5No. 181981–82Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 201982–83Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 221979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 271980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 441983–84Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 26.200 | 30% | 7.860 |
| Best 10No. 181981–82Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 201982–83Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 221979–80Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 271980–81Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 441983–84Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 461984–85Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 681978–79Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1001977–78Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1271985–86Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 1871986–87Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 65.900 | 20% | 13.180 |
10.000 + 7.860 + 13.180= 31.040
Averages, contributions, and totals are displayed to three decimal places. The ranking calculation keeps full source precision. Read the full method →
Full comparison · Career comparison
Understand the numbers
Start with impact, then compare playing time and skills. Team results add context. These are not categories to tally into a winner.
1 · Ranking evidence
Impact: who ranks higher, and why?
Career Impact Rank compares entire regular-season careers across NBA history. It combines average league places across the best three, five, and ten seasons, weighted 50%, 30%, and 20%. A lower rank or average place is better.
| Metric | Dennis Johnson | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank | #239 | #236Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 23.7 | 20.0Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 27.8 | 26.2Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 54.9Better result for this metric. | 65.9 |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Dennis Johnson | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #166Better result for this metric. | #247 |
| Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +3.5Better result for this metric. | +3.2 |
| Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +2.7 | +2.9Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +2.4 | +2.5Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +1.5Better result for this metric. | +1.1 |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +2,096 ptsBetter result for this metric. | +1,632 pts |
| Seasons ranked No. 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Top-five impact seasons | 0 | 0 |
| Top-ten impact seasons | 1Better result for this metric. | 0 |
2 · Playing time and responsibility
How much did each player take on?
Read games and minutes alongside impact. Offensive usage is the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on court. More usage is not automatically better.
| Metric | Dennis Johnson | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,100 | 802 |
| Minutes | 35,954 | 22,073 |
3 · Individual skills
Where does each player have an advantage?
These are each player's averages across up to ten best seasons. Career Impact Rank gives the Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights, giving the most weight to the highest peak. The model accounts for position, role, pace, playing time, and team results. Green marks the better result for a metric, including lower turnover rates. Workload and shot-selection measures stay neutral. These rows are not votes toward the ranking.
Shooting
True shooting includes two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws.
| Metric | Dennis Johnson | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 51.1% | 51.1% |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 51.5%Better result for this metric. | 50.8% |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Dennis Johnson | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 44.5% | 47.2%Better result for this metric. |
| Three-point percentage | 17.2% | 33.8%Better result for this metric. |
| Free-throw percentage | 79.7%Better result for this metric. | 78.7% |
Passing
Assist rate is the share of teammates’ made shots assisted while the player is on court. Read turnovers alongside offensive workload; lower turnover rate is generally better.
| Metric | Dennis Johnson | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 17.3%Better result for this metric. | 10.9% |
| Assists per game | 5.0Better result for this metric. | 2.2 |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | Dennis Johnson | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 13.8% | 10.2%Better result for this metric. |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Dennis Johnson | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 7.1% | 12.1%Better result for this metric. |
| Rebounds per game | 3.9 | 6.1Better result for this metric. |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | Dennis Johnson | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 2.1%Better result for this metric. | 1.8% |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | Dennis Johnson | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 1.2%Better result for this metric. | 0.6% |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Dennis Johnson | Greg Ballard |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 14.1Better result for this metric. | 12.4 |
4 · Team context, not ranking inputs
What happened with and without them?
A verified with/without comparison is unavailable for this scope. We do not substitute another season’s observations.
Four separate questions
Impact, winning, playoffs, and awards
These are different ways to understand a career. Only Regular Season Impact determines the hussEyquation verdict. The other three sections add basketball context without adding points or changing the rank.
Regular Season Impact
Greg Ballard ranks higher in career impact.
Dennis JohnsonMetricGreg Ballard
#239Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#236Leads
+3.5LeadsPeak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+3.2
+2.4Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+2.5Leads
+2,096 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+1,632 pts
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
Dennis Johnson leads every available measure below.
Dennis JohnsonMetricGreg Ballard
753LeadsListed-team regular-season wins455
65.6%LeadsListed-team winning percentage50.4%
10Leads50-win team seasons1
3Leads60-win team seasons0
13LeadsPlayoff team seasons8
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Final records for every listed team-season. A traded season can include more than one team.
Playoff Résumé
Dennis Johnson leads every available measure below.
Dennis JohnsonMetricGreg Ballard
13LeadsPlayoff appearances7
180LeadsPlayoff games65
105LeadsTeam playoff wins32
6LeadsFinals appearances2
3LeadsChampionships1
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
No recorded measure separates these careers.
Dennis JohnsonMetricGreg Ballard
5All-StarNot available
0MVPNot available
2All-NBANot available
9All-DefenseNot available
0DPOYNot available
0Rookie of the YearNot available
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Major regular-season honors are recognition, not inputs to the impact ranking.
How each context field is counted
- Listed-team regular-season wins
- The sum of each listed team's final wins in every season the player represented that team.
- Listed-team winning percentage
- Those team wins divided by those teams' total regular-season games.
- 50- and 60-win team seasons
- Listed team-seasons that finished with at least 50 or 60 wins. Shortened seasons are not projected to 82 games.
- Team seasons reaching playoffs
- Listed team-seasons in which that team qualified for the playoffs.
- Playoff appearances and games
- Postseasons and games in which the player appeared.
- Team playoff wins
- Team wins from those postseasons. They describe team results, not individual credit.
- Finals appearances and championships
- Seasons when the player appeared in the playoffs for the finalist or champion.
- Awards
- Recorded NBA selections and major regular-season honors. A zero means the source records none; Not available means the source field is missing.
Source and scope Basketball Reference, NBA seasons 1950–51 through 2025–26, accessed 2026-10-09.
Career Shape Explorer
How the careers developed
Follow every regular season by NBA experience or age. This view describes the path; it does not create another verdict.
Dennis JohnsonGreg BallardPeak seasonHistorical source qualification
Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average
Striped bars mark seasons with fewer than 40 games. A dashed mark means that player had no season at the aligned point.
Season-by-season evidenceRead both careers at the same stage
Every observed season keeps its age, era-centered impact estimate, league rank when qualified, career-stage label, and exact evidence link. A missing career point stays missing.
Dennis JohnsonNBA seasonGreg Ballard
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Season 9
Season 10
Season 11
Season 12
No season
Season 13
No season
Observed values come from the accepted season comparison record. Historical source qualifications stay attached to affected seasons. Missing means no NBA season exists at that aligned point; it is never interpolated. Missing is not the same as estimated.